Amherst College - Paul Rieckhoff '98https://www.amherst.edu/taxonomy/term/7376
enPaul Rieckhoff ’98: 2009 DeMott Lecturehttps://www.amherst.edu/news/multimedia/events/2009/node/124138
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><div style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 640px">
<div id="media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302" class="jwplayer-video">Loading the player...</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function ($) {
var settings = '{"androidhls":"true","logo":{"hide":true},"abouttext":"Amherst College Multimedia","aboutlink":"https://www.amherst.edu/news/multimedia","aspectratio":"640:360","width":"100%","playlist":[{"sources":[{"file":"https://stream01.amherst.edu:1936/publicaffairs/_definst_/visiting_lecturer/demott/paul_rieckhoff_2009.mp4/playlist.m3u8"}],"0":{"file":"rtmps://stream01.amherst.edu:1936/publicaffairs/_definst_/visiting_lecturer/demott/paul_rieckhoff_2009.mp4"},"title":"Amherst Video on Demand","image":"https://www.amherst.edu/media/view/340586/original/Amherst_seal_310067_640x360.jpg"}]}';
if (settings.indexOf('#token#') != -1) {
$.ajax({
url: '/ajax/fetch_wowza_token',
async: false,
success: function(data) {
settings_t = settings.replace(/#token#/gi, data);
}
});
} else {
settings_t = settings;
}
var p_settings = JSON.parse(settings_t);
var state_media_1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302 = 0;
jwplayer.key="VA+jZO/Yn2YeN2I4SMPCUWoeHI/fyq41XTyP5ZFdxOM=";
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').setup(p_settings);
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onError(function() {
state_ = 1;
});
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onIdle(function() {
if (state_ == 1) {
$('.jwtext').html('Error loading media:<br />Your browser cannot play this file or you do not have permission to view it.');
}
});
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onSetupError(function() {
var message = $('#media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302 p');
message.html('Error playing video:<br />This video requires Flash to play.');
});
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onPlay(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': 'https://stream01.amherst.edu:1936/publicaffairs/_definst_/visiting_lecturer/demott/paul_rieckhoff_2009.mp4/playlist.m3u8',
'event': 'onMediaPlay',
'position':jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').getPosition()
});
});
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onComplete(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': 'https://stream01.amherst.edu:1936/publicaffairs/_definst_/visiting_lecturer/demott/paul_rieckhoff_2009.mp4/playlist.m3u8',
'event': 'onMediaComplete'
});
});
jwplayer('media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302').onReady(function() {
$('.jwplay button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwplay');
$(this).before('<label for="media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwplay" class="visually_hidden">Play</label>');
});
$('.jwprev button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwprev');
$(this).before('<label for="media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwprev" class="visually_hidden">Previous</label>');
});
$('.jwnext button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwnext');
$(this).before('<label for="media-1dcb0f2fc1e0081f7218af03af046302-jwnext" class="visually_hidden">Next</label>');
});
});
})(jQuery);
</script>
</p>
<p>Paul Rieckhoff ’98 delivered the 2009 DeMott Lecture to the Class of 2013 on Monday, August 31, 2009.</p>
<p>Rieckhoff is executive director and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a non partisan non profit founded in 2004 with tens of thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states. Rieckhoff himself was a first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in the Iraq war from 2003 to 2004. He is now a nationally recognized authority on the war in Iraq and issues affecting troops, military families and veterans and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including <em>The Charlie Rose Show, 60 Minutes, ABC World News Tonight, All Things Considered</em>,<em> The New York Times, The Washington Post, Army Times</em> and <em>The Wall Street Journal</em>, among others. His first book, a critically acclaimed account of his experiences in Iraq and activism afterwards titled <em>Chasing Ghosts</em>, was published by Penguin in May 2006.</p>
<h4>Prefer MP3s?</h4>
<p><a href="/media/view/124100/original/%2BPR_AWM_Intro.mp3">Download President Marx’s introduction (MP3)</a> <br /><div style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 300px">
<div id="media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511" class="jwplayer-video">Loading the player...</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function ($) {
var settings = '{"file":"/media/view/124100/original/%2BPR_AWM_Intro.mp3","logo":{"hide":true},"abouttext":"Amherst College Multimedia","aboutlink":"https://www.amherst.edu/news/multimedia","aspectratio":"300:30","width":"100%"}';
if (settings.indexOf('#token#') != -1) {
$.ajax({
url: '/ajax/fetch_wowza_token',
async: false,
success: function(data) {
settings_t = settings.replace(/#token#/gi, data);
}
});
} else {
settings_t = settings;
}
var p_settings = JSON.parse(settings_t);
var state_media_2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511 = 0;
jwplayer.key="VA+jZO/Yn2YeN2I4SMPCUWoeHI/fyq41XTyP5ZFdxOM=";
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').setup(p_settings);
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onError(function() {
state_ = 1;
});
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onIdle(function() {
if (state_ == 1) {
$('.jwtext').html('Error loading media:<br />Your browser cannot play this file or you do not have permission to view it.');
}
});
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onSetupError(function() {
var message = $('#media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511 p');
message.html('Error playing video:<br />This video requires Flash to play.');
});
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onPlay(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': '%2BPR_AWM_Intro.mp3',
'event': 'onMediaPlay',
'position':jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').getPosition()
});
});
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onComplete(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': '%2BPR_AWM_Intro.mp3',
'event': 'onMediaComplete'
});
});
jwplayer('media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511').onReady(function() {
$('.jwplay button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwplay');
$(this).before('<label for="media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwplay" class="visually_hidden">Play</label>');
});
$('.jwprev button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwprev');
$(this).before('<label for="media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwprev" class="visually_hidden">Previous</label>');
});
$('.jwnext button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwnext');
$(this).before('<label for="media-2443e6c7cc97838b8e8d4ec33851c511-jwnext" class="visually_hidden">Next</label>');
});
});
})(jQuery);
</script>
<br />.</p>
<p><a href="/media/view/124099/original/Paul_R.mp3">Download Rieckhoff’s talk (MP3)</a> <br /><div style="position: relative; display: block; max-width: 300px">
<div id="media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085" class="jwplayer-video">Loading the player...</div>
</div>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function ($) {
var settings = '{"file":"/media/view/124099/original/Paul_R.mp3","logo":{"hide":true},"abouttext":"Amherst College Multimedia","aboutlink":"https://www.amherst.edu/news/multimedia","aspectratio":"300:30","width":"100%"}';
if (settings.indexOf('#token#') != -1) {
$.ajax({
url: '/ajax/fetch_wowza_token',
async: false,
success: function(data) {
settings_t = settings.replace(/#token#/gi, data);
}
});
} else {
settings_t = settings;
}
var p_settings = JSON.parse(settings_t);
var state_media_7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085 = 0;
jwplayer.key="VA+jZO/Yn2YeN2I4SMPCUWoeHI/fyq41XTyP5ZFdxOM=";
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').setup(p_settings);
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onError(function() {
state_ = 1;
});
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onIdle(function() {
if (state_ == 1) {
$('.jwtext').html('Error loading media:<br />Your browser cannot play this file or you do not have permission to view it.');
}
});
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onSetupError(function() {
var message = $('#media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085 p');
message.html('Error playing video:<br />This video requires Flash to play.');
});
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onPlay(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': 'Paul_R.mp3',
'event': 'onMediaPlay',
'position':jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').getPosition()
});
});
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onComplete(function() {
dataLayer.push({
'mediaFile': 'Paul_R.mp3',
'event': 'onMediaComplete'
});
});
jwplayer('media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085').onReady(function() {
$('.jwplay button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwplay');
$(this).before('<label for="media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwplay" class="visually_hidden">Play</label>');
});
$('.jwprev button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwprev');
$(this).before('<label for="media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwprev" class="visually_hidden">Previous</label>');
});
$('.jwnext button').each(function() {
$(this).attr('id', 'media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwnext');
$(this).before('<label for="media-7512c8f29a25ef2a90ca2d3d54cef085-jwnext" class="visually_hidden">Next</label>');
});
});
})(jQuery);
</script>
<br />.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/4683">DeMott Lecture</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7376">Paul Rieckhoff &#039;98</a></div></div></div>Sat, 25 May 2013 17:24:16 +0000samasinter124138 at https://www.amherst.eduhttps://www.amherst.edu/news/multimedia/events/2009/node/124138#commentsAmherst College Creates Scholarship Fund for American Veteranshttps://www.amherst.edu/news/news_releases/2008/12/node/83730
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><span class="fine-print">December 9, 2008 </span> <br><br>AMHERST, Mass.–Amherst College has created a permanently endowed scholarship fund for veterans of the U.S. armed forces who are accepted by and enroll at the liberal arts school. The Veterans Scholarship Fund, as it is called, will provide enough financial aid to cover the full demonstrated need of qualified former American servicemen and servicewomen, starting in the fall of 2009.<!--break--><br><br>“Amherst has a deep respect for those who choose to serve this country through the military, and we hope that this scholarship fund will open a few doors for them,” said the college’s president, Anthony W. Marx. “In addition to elevating the level of discourse among Amherst students, faculty and staff in the classroom and across campus, I am confident the real-world insights and presence of student-veterans will resonate throughout our entire community.”<br><br>“It is extremely important to show gratitude to those who have made a sacrifice to serve our country, and helping make an Amherst education accessible to such men and women will do just that,” added Trustee Richard LeFrak ’67, whose gift from the Richard and Karen LeFrak Charitable Foundation helped create the fund. “Veterans offer a completely new perspective that many of the college’s undergraduates will benefit from hearing. They will also add a whole new dimension to the diversity of the student body.” <br><br>Former members of the armed forces who apply to and are accepted at Amherst must still complete the college’s financial aid application process to determine their eligibility and need for federal, state and institutional funding. The hope is that those funds, combined with G.I. Bill benefits, will cover most—if not all—of the expenses for the veterans to attend the college, explained Dean of Admission Tom Parker. “We are fully committed to providing the best education possible to those who are so worthy of it,” he said.<br><br>To find the most promising applicants, Amherst will tap into its extensive recruiting networks and develop new avenues as needed. The college will extend its efforts into areas of the country with large concentrations of veterans, including California, Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Well-qualified veterans who wish to transfer into Amherst from community colleges and other institutions also will receive strong consideration. And to welcome the veterans who ultimately enroll, Amherst will make an added variety of services and programs available to the students to assist them in their transition to life at college, Parker said. <br><br>The creation of the new fund builds on Amherst’s leadership in the areas of accessibility and affordability. The college was one of the first in the country to adopt a need-blind admission policy, and, this past April, the policy was extended to international students. Amherst was also the first college in the nation to eliminate loans for low-income students and one of the first to eliminate loans for every undergraduate—a program which was enacted this academic year.<br><br>“I am thrilled to support the new Veterans Scholarship Fund—Iraq and Afghanistan veterans will both contribute to and gain an invaluable amount from studying at Amherst,” said alumnus Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and one of the fund’s first contributors. “I am grateful that my beloved alma mater is taking such a significant step to include some of our country’s newest veterans in its community. The school is leading the way nationally in making a first-class education accessible to a new generation of American heroes.”<br><br>Amherst’s connection to the armed forces is long and deep, and students and alumni have fought in conflicts from the Civil War to Iraq. In addition to Rieckhoff—who served in the Iraq War—other notable graduates involved in the military include Edward Duffield Neill (Class of 1842), a chaplain in the Union Army and private secretary to presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson; Dwight W. Morrow (Class of 1895), civilian member of Gen. John J. Pershing’s staff in World War I; and Stansfield Turner (Class of 1945), former Navy admiral and director of the CIA.<br><br>Founded in 1821 for “the education of indigent young men of piety and talents,” Amherst is now widely regarded as one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, enrolling a diverse group of approximately 1,600 young men and women each year. Well known for its academic excellence, Amherst is also considered among the very best schools in the country in terms of economic accessibility: The college’s financial aid packages are consistently among the most generous in the United States, and, among its peer universities and colleges, Amherst has the greatest economic diversity.<br><br>Diversity, in its broadest sense, is fundamental to the college’s mission. Amherst enrolls students from every state and more than 40 countries, and, for the past several years, nearly 40 percent of Amherst’s students have been students of color. Amherst offers the B.A. degree in 34 fields of study.<br></p><div align="center">###</div><p> </p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/838">financial aid</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1268">tom parker</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/2060">Anthony W. Marx</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7376">Paul Rieckhoff &#039;98</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/9185">Veterans Scholarship Fund</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/9186">military service</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/9187">Richard LeFrak &#039;67</a></div></div></div>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:32:29 +0000channa83730 at https://www.amherst.eduReporting Backhttps://www.amherst.edu/amherst-story/magazine/issues/2008_spring/meaning/reportingback/node/54747
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="drop-cap2">F</span>our alumni who’ve seen combat duty in Iraq returned to Amherst in February. Inside a full Cole Assembly Room, they spoke about the war and the military at a panel dedicated to the memory of Josh Gross ’98. Here is some of what they said:<table border="0" align="right"><tbody><tr><td><div class="mediainline"><span class="inline"><img class="image original" src="/media/view/49862/original/RieckhoffNicholsProctorFlavin.jpg" border="0" alt="Military Discussion Panel" title="Military Discussion Panel" width="151" height="214"></span></div><div class="mediainline"><div class="mediainline"><span class="fine-print">Front to back: </span></div><div class="mediainline"><span class="fine-print">Rieckhoff, </span></div><div class="mediainline"><span class="fine-print">Nichols, </span></div><div class="mediainline"><span class="fine-print">Proctor<br>and Flavin</span> </div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p> For most Americans, the war in Iraq is “like a TV reality show,” said Paul Rieckhoff ’98, who served in Iraq as a first lieutenant and infantry rifle platoon leader in the U.S. Army. “We’re not a country at war; we’re a military at war.” He founded the organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America after seeing friends return from combat with post-traumatic stress and debilitating physical injuries. “We have enough yellow ribbons,” Rieckhoff said. “We need better VA benefits, better mental health counseling.” <br><br>Todd Nichols ’99, a U.S. Marine Corps captain who flies attack helicopters, has been to Iraq on three combat tours. He said the military needs people who can make split-second judgments without having all of the information in front of them. “You can’t do it through doctrinal training,” he said. “You have to do it because you’re a leader and a good thinker. And that’s what I think Amherst is all about.” <br><br>“Without question,” said Matt Flavin ’02, “I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s best men and women. They’re unfailingly brave and many are astoundingly intelligent. Yet the fact remains that many would not have joined had they been given a different socioeconomic lot in life.” Flavin, a U.S. Navy officer who completed combat deploy­ments to Afghanistan and Iraq, served as director of targeting and intelligence for SEAL Team ONE. He is now in law school at Georgetown.<br><br>“I had the somber job of flying the bodies of our fallen comrades out of country,” said Mike Proctor ’02, a captain and an aircraft commander in the U.S. Marine Corps. “We’d fly them from different places in Iraq to Kuwait and do a ceremony as they left the airplane, sending them on their way home. The honor with which all of [them] served is something that can’t be taken lightly.” Proctor flew combat sorties in Iraq. He received a Navy Achievement Medal and five Air Medals for combat flight.</p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-1 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1530">iraq war</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/1531">military</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6912">Amherst College Military Panel</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6913">Matt Flavin</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6914">Todd Nichols</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6915">Michael Proctor</a></div><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/7376">Paul Rieckhoff &#039;98</a></div></div></div>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:59:55 +0000kdduke54747 at https://www.amherst.edu